Two storm systems left at least 38 people dead and forced tens of thousands from their homes after heavy rains battered Central America and Mexico's Pacific coast, officials said Friday. Guatemala alone accounted for 21 killed, according to local authorities and emergency services.
The toll in Mexico rose to eight Friday with three more reported dead from flooding and landslides in the wake of Hurricane Jova, which hit the Pacific coast as a category two hurricane Tuesday before weakening to a tropical storm. Torrential rains destroyed and carried away bridges in Guatemala, where authorities confirmed 21 deaths and 55,000 people affected by a tropical depression which hit Central America at the start of the week.
Two more were missing as clean-up efforts continued, rescue services said. Rescuers recovered six bodies in Nicaragua and three in El Salvador, while neighbouring Honduras and Costa Rica reported damage to property. Mexican authorities insisted only small repairs were needed to some venues for the Pan American Games, which began Friday in Guadalajara, the Jalisco state capital more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Pacific coast.
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